A delicate ribbon of gas, the remnant of a supernova explosion more than 1,000 years ago. On or around 1 May AD 1006, observers from Africa to Europe and the Far East witnessed the arrival of light from what is now called SN 1006, the final death throes of a white dwarf star nearly 7,000 light-years away. The supernova was probably the brightest star ever seen by humans, surpassing Venus as the brightest object in the night time sky after the Moon. It was visible even during the day for weeks, and remained visible to the naked eye for at least two and a half years